Method and means for vaporizing fuel in internal-combustion engines



March 11 1924. 1,486,833

a. L. ERTZ METHOD AND MEANS FOR VAFORIZING FUEL IN INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES Filed Aug. 25, 1921 A? 4Q y IRE/Whiz)? 6Y4. Erfz Patented Mar.111, 192%.

GEORGE LAWRENCE ERTZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ME'KHGD AND MEANS FOR VAIPQRIZING FUEL IN INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed August 25, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE LAWRENCE En'rz, a citizen of the UnitedStates and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methodsand Means for Vaporizing Fuel in Internal-Combustion Engines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method and means for vaporizinggasoline, heavy oils or alcohol fuels in the operation of internalcombustion engines, and by the use of the heat generated by the same.

It is an object of my invention to vaporize the fuel, not only by theheat applied to the exterior of the containing vessel, but also b theheat applied internally to the fuel itsel the'heat in both cases beingderived from the same source, which is the heated exhaust gases afterthe vaporized fuel has been mixed with air and burned in the enginecylinders.

It is also an object to provide auxiliar heating means whereby in verycold weather, such as zero weather, when very heavy oil, such askerosene or the like, is being used there will be no trouble invaporizing sufficient of the fuel to start the engine, prior to theautomatic generation of vapor by the engine heat.

A further object is to provide simplified means for vaporizing the fuelwhereby desired heat conditions may be quickly available for use.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a View of an apparatus designed tobe attached to an internal combustion engine.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings the same numerals indicate like parts.

1 represents the body of an'internal combustion motor having exhaustpipe 2 and an inlet manifold 3. The engine as shown is illustrative of atypical four cylinder, four cycle engine, and the inlet manifold, as isusual, is a Y-shaped casting through the center of which extends aconcentric, and preferaloly integrally cast pipe 4:, leaving an annularspace 5 between 4 and 3.

The entrance to pipe 4, which is exterior to manifold 3, is machined toreceive a car- $eria1 N0. M95375.

buretor flange 6 to which is attached a carburetor 7 of any Well knowntype.

The lower portion of manifold 3 is expanded into a bulb 8 on which arecast exterior radiating fins 9 and interior radiating fins 10. Exhaustpipe 2 is brought, preferably from the rear to the front of the engine,and extends in a curve, which is designed to bring it in conjunctionwith bulb 8, and pipe 2 has an expanded portion 11 which is adapted toencase bulb 8 in substantially gas tight relation.

Extending through the Walls of 11 and are insulating plugs 12 and 13through which pass wires 14 and 15 joining up the ends of a heating coil16 made of a suitable resistance wire. Extending through the bottom of11 and 8 is a draw-01f cook 17, and in the bottom of 8 and adapted toopen from the interior of 11 to the interior of 8 are two more smalldrill holes 18 and 19.

The operation is as follows:

If it is assumed that wires 14 and 15 are connected to any convenientsource of electric current supply, such as for instance the startingbattery, the current is turned on and coil 16 rapidly attains a whiteheat. The engine is then cranked and the suction of the motor draws in asupply of fuel and air through carburetor 7 and pipe 4:, at the sametime a very minute amount of air is drawn in through the bulb 8 from theexhaust pipe 11 through the holes 18 and 19, which holes are preferablysuch as might be made with a No. 70 drill. The velocity of the air andgasoline, which is generally largely in an unvaporized condition, causesthe liquid to be thrown against the red hot heating coil 16 therebycausing vaporization. At the same time the minute jets of air through 18and 19, generally under high velocity, pick up the vaporized gasolinefrom the coil 16 and mingle with the balance of the air and thus thevapors and the air from both sources are drawn by the suction of themotor from the annular passage 5, manifold 3, into the engine cylinders.The mixture is then fired and the exhaust gases pass out through theexhaust pipe 2 and on their passage to atmospheric discharge they heatup bulb 8 by contact therewith, which heating is greatly accelerated bythe radiating fins 9 and 10.

It will be noted that after the first explosion of the motor the gasespassing through fl I 1,486,833

fuel deposited therein from the carburetor and it is made with acontracted throat for the purpose of giving an increased speed to themixtures of air and vapor passing through to the motor from bulb 8. Itis apparent that any fuel being delivered to the engine cylindersthrough pipe 4 from the carburetor, owing to its velocity, will tend topass through bulb 8 and strike the bottom thereof.

In the ordinary course of events in vaporizers of this type havingsimilar construction, it is well known that the fuel is by no meansvaporized therein, due to the fact that the high boiling point fractionsof the oil do not vaporize fast enough, and, secondly, accumulate in thebottom of the bulb in increasing quantity until eventually the bulb isso filled with high boiling point fractions that the apparatus isinoperative. This is especially the case in cold climates where unlessthe bulb is heated externally by a flame, or something of likecharacter, the vaporizer is incapable of starting the engine.

In my method and apparatus I am able I to overcome all theseditficulties by providing for the continual agitation and vaporizing ofthe high boiling point fractions along with the low boiling pointfractions by admitting fine jets of superheated gases from the exhaustpipe to the interior of the vaporizer, where, responsive to the suctionof the engine, any fuel whichhas a tendency to collect on the bottom ofthe bulb is continually agitated, vaporized, and carried by thesuperheated gases to mix with the air coming from the carburetor andcarried therewith into the engine cylinder.

It has been repeatedly demonstrated and shown that by my method I amable to carry all the fuel in a vaporized condition into the enginecylinder, or, it may be seen that with the construction of bulb 8 thefuel has no possibility of being drawn directly, in a solid condition,along with the air into the engine cylinder but must be deposited inbulb 8, and on repeated demonstrations after different periods ofrunning b opening cock 17 there will be no liquid filel drawn Also ithas been shown by measurement that there is no crank case dilution dueto the fact of liquid fuel escaping past the piston rings into the crankcase, thus proving the complete vaporization of the fuel.

The exterior radiating fins 9 serve to pick up the heat quickly from theexhaust gases and convey them by conduction to the interior fins 10inside the bulb 8. Owing to the agitation and mixing of the liquid andgases in bulb 8, a continual spraying and vaporizing is taking place atthe same time, the action of the gases causin the liquid to be thrownonto the interior ns 10 whence by continuous refluxing they spread overa large heating surface and any of the high boiling point fractions unvaorized at one time will be caught at the ottom of the bulb 8 by incomingjets of heated gases through holes 18 and 19 and thereby agitated,vaporized, and carried upwardly to the engine cylinder.

The arrows show the course of the air and fuel from the carburetor tothe manifold.

I am aware of different proposals to use a similar bulb as the one thatI have shown but repeated experiments of this general type have revealedto me the inherent defects as herein before explained but I am able toovercome these defects successfully by my proved method of introducing asuperheated gas at the point of separation and vaporization of the fueland air.

It also appears that the velocity of the air from holes 18 and 19 is ofgreat assistance in vaporizing a fuel under any conditions, but it isparticularly eflicient as applied by my method whereby deoxidized gasesare used, as by this method there is no effect on carburetor adjustmentfor difierent loads. At the same time under certain conditions I havefound it advantageous to introduce air through cook 17, as well assuperheated gas through holes 18 and 19.

There are of course many variations of apparatus in-the application ofmy method and I do not limit myself to the specific use as shown, asmany other applications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The method of vaporizing liquid fuel for an internal combustionengine which consists in mixing fuel with air, segregating unvaporizedportions of the fuel and then agitating the segregated portions withoutsubstantial atomization by passing therethrough a gas whereby the sameare vaporized and again mixed with the air.

2. The method of vaporizing liquid fuel for an internal combustionengine which consists in passing a mixture of fuel and air to acontainer wherein unvaporized portions of the fuel are segregated,agitating said portions without substantial atomization by passingtherethrough a heated gas whereby the same are vaporized and again mixedwith the air.

3. The method of vaporizing liquid fuel reac es in a mixture of air andliquid fuel being conveyed to an internal combustion engine whichconsists in mixing pre-determmed volumes of air and fuel in a carburetorand drawing same, responsive to engine suction, through a vaporizingchamber wherein unvaporized portions of the fuel are segregated,agitating the unvaporized fuel Without substantial atomization bydrawing therethrough part of the exhaust gas from the engine andtherebyvaporizing the same and then conducting the vaporized fuel to again mixwith the air.

4. The method of vaporizing liquid fuel in a mixture of air and liquidfuel being conveyed to an internal combustion engine which consists inpassing a mixture of fuel and air to a chamber heated exteriorly byexhaust gases from the engine and wherein unvaporized portions of thefuel are segreated, agitating the unvaporized fuel by drawingtherethrough a part of the exhaust gases and thereby vaporizing thefuel, without substantial atomization, and then conducting the vaporizedfuel together with the part of the exhaust gases used for vaporizing toagain mix with the air.

5. The method of vaporizin liquid fuel in a mixture of air and liquifuel being conveyed to an internal combustion engine which consists inmixing fuel with air, segregating unvaporized portions of the fuel, andthen agitating the unvaporized portions by drawing therethrough a heatedgas and further air whereby the fuel is vaporized and mixed with firstmentioned air.

6. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder, an inlet manifold,means to supply a mixture of fuel and air to the cylinder through themanifold, means to segregate unvaporized portions of the fuel in themanifold and means to introduce a gas into the segregating means wherebysaid unvaporized portions will be agitated without substantialatomization, vaporized and again mixed with the air.

An engine cylinder, an inlet manifold and an exhaust pipe therefor, acarburetor, in combination with means to pass a mixture of air andliquid fuel from the carburetor through the manifold to the cylinderwhereby the unvaporized-portions of the fuel are segregated, agitatedwithout substantial atomization and vaporized by passing therethroughheated gases from the exhaust pipe, and then mixed again with the airtogether with said heated gases.

8. In combination, an engine cylinder, a carburetor, an exhaust pipe, aninlet manifold, said manifold having a dependent arm, the lower portionof which is encased in the exhaust pipe wherein liquid fuel passing fromthe carburetor to the cylinder is segregated, and means to pass gasesfrom the interior of the exhaust pipe to the interior of the lowerportion of the manifold whereby the fuel is agitated and vaporized.

9. An interior combustion engine having an inlet manifold, a carburetorand an exhaust pipe attached thereto, in combination with means tosegregate unvaporized portions of the fuel in the manifold and means topass exhaust heated gases through said portions whereby the same areagitated witmut substantial atomization and vaporin 10. An inletmanifold for an internal combustion engine having an enlarged portion atits lower end designed to trap unvaporized fuel, an inlet passage forliquid fuel and air, an outlet passage for vaporized fuel and air, incombination with means to heat the enlarged portion exteriorly withexhaust gases from the engine and means to introduce art of the exhaustgases upwardly and t rough the trapped unvaporized fuel whereby the sameis vaporized and directed to said outlet.

11. An internal combustion engine having an inlet manifold and anexhaust pipe attached thereto in combination with means to feed liquidfuel and air to the inlet manifold responsive to the engine suction,means to segregate unvaporized portions of the fuel in the manifold,electrical heating means to primarily vaporize the fuel, and means tocontinuously introduce heated gases, responsive to the engine suction,upwardly and through said segregated portion after the use of saidelectrical heating means has been discontinued.

12. An internal combustion engine having an inlet manifold and anexhaust pipe attached thereto in combination with means to feed liquidfuel and air to the inlet manifold, means to segregate unvaporizedportions of the fuel in the manifold, electrical heating means toprimarily vaporize the fuel, means to continuously vaporize thesegregated fuel by drawing heated gases therethrough from the exhaustpipe upwardly and means to introduce further air through the segregatingmeans.

Signed at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York,this 15th day of August, A. D. 1921.

GEORGE LAWRENCE ERTZ.

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